You may be someone who is a chain smoker, or an avid drinker, or - you could be someone who simply loves chewing tobacco, or maybe someone who is not an addict but loves sniffing powders (coke or heroin) now and then. Whatever you may try to assert, these are all included in the bad habits that are not only morally 'taboo' to society but are also extremely lethal for one's health and well-being.

Although it is known to all that the habit of hard substance abuse is critically dangerous, people still tend to lean towards trying the toxins just for the hang of it. And before you know it, you are in too deep and can't get out.

Why do people get into these intoxicating habits? 

Some people never try and prefer to stay away from such a habit. Then some people are in-betweens, they neither prefer full sobriety nor do they become an addict. But there could be many reasons why people deliberately choose to try out such bad habits and end up getting hooked on intoxicating substances.

The reasons could be:

Peer Pressure

 What we don't learn from teachers and parents, we learn from the friends and acquaintances we meet and hang out with. It is through the extracurricular activities you commit outside the given constructive surroundings, that you learn such habits. It all starts with your friends approaching/forcing you to try alcohol or cigarettes, and by the time you get used to them, you realize that these substances make the leisure time spent even more entertaining and engaging. And thus further, you try more new and exciting drugs and other substances to reach the level of high you need.

Personal Problems

 Some people are a lot more sensitive and naive than others. They tend to take every little mistake of theirs or any simple difficulties they face to their heart and grave. As little as breaking up in a puppy love relationship or getting a B on a monthly test, these situations might break a person, leading to a depressive state of mind. This situation further impacts the already timid and sensitive person, directing him/her to choose a non-healthy way to heal the mind i.e substance abuse.

Domestic Problems

 Home should be the safest place for an individual. But what if the situation in your home is not happy and happening? A child will learn according to what they see and perceive, and the surroundings that they live in are potent enough to influence them into something they were not originally capable of. More often than not, the people who turned out to be hostile, come from a long history of alcohol and other substance abuse backgrounds. Apart from having substance abusers as guardians, their responsibility to take an account of the substances lying around in the house could lead to a child trying the stuff just for the gist of it and might end up getting used to it.

To Fit In

 This category includes the young and rich (mostly). Aside from the reasons above, many youths get into the habit of abusing substances just to stay relevant and feel fit in their group of peers. These are usually naive teenagers who lack self-esteem and hate to be misfits or the butt of the joke (i.e a party pooper/boring virus). Youngsters will sometimes lie that they too can smoke cigarettes and drink cans of beer, or they do hard drugs, etc just to feel cooler than usual, and in turn of proving their bluffs, they end up being influenced by the idea. Eventually, making them addicted at the later stages.

Who are the victims of such a toxic habit?

 Anyone. Anyone can fall into the trap of intoxication and psychedelia just to find a moment of peace and chill. As young as a child of 5 years old, to an old lady of 70 years of age, people of all ages, colours, and gender can fall victim to substance abuse. But the easiest to fall victim to is the children and a depressive person dealing with difficult circumstances.

What can you do?

 What you can do is, not make it harder for the victims dealing with such problems by being mean and treating the issue as a taboo. Sometimes, life drains the energy and positive outlook from someone's life. It is not up to us to judge someone on their choices and addiction. Addiction to hard substances is very lethal and has dire consequences if not treated. The least we can do is, raise awareness of the issue and make sure we lose fewer family and friends to this bad habit.